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三頭六臂

简三头六臂 · 繁三頭六臂

Mandarin · pinyin sān tóu liù bì

(lit.) (having) three heads and six arms (idiom)
(fig.) superhuman abilities; exceptional capability

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Characters in this entry

三: sān · three
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
六: liù · number six
臂: bì · arm
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–4 · san1 tou2 liu4 bi4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

三頭六臂 · find source passages ↗ · 三头六臂 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

saam1 tau4 luk6 bei3

Cantonese word readings for 三頭六臂. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative) (having) superhuman powers

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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